The 1967

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

season was the team's eighth in

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

. Under the command of second-year head coach

John Rauch John Rauch (August 20, 1927 – June 10, 2008), also known by his nickname Johnny Rauch, was an American football player and coach. He was head coach of the Oakland Raiders in the team's loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II in early 1 ...

, the Raiders went , an

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

(AFL) record, and captured their first Western Division title, four games ahead of runner-up

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

, the defending league champion. The addition of strong-armed

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Daryle Lamonica Daryle Pasquale Lamonica (July 17, 1941 – April 21, 2022) was an American football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. He spent ...

greatly energized the Raiders' vertical passing game. Additionally, the Raiders added

Gene Upshaw Eugene Thurman Upshaw Jr. (August 15, 1945 – August 20, 2008), also known as "Uptown Gene" and "Highway 63", was an American professional football player for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League (AFL) and later the National Foot ...

, Willie Brown, and

George Blanda George Frederick Blanda (September 17, 1927 – September 27, 2010) was an American football placekicker and quarterback who played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Blanda played 26 seasons ...

to their roster as well as linebackers coach (and future head coach)

John Madden John Earl Madden (April 10, 1936 – December 28, 2021) was an American football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, who he led to eight pla ...

prior to the 1967 season. All four were later elected to the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

. The Raiders routed the visiting

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...

in the

AFL championship game For its first nine seasons, 1960 through 1968, the American Football League determined its champion via a single playoff game between the winners of its two divisions (although ties in the standings in 1963 (Eastern) and 1968 (Western) necessitat ...

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

. They advanced to

Super Bowl II The second AFL-NFL World Championship Game (known retroactively as Super Bowl II) was an American football game played on January 14, 1968, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. The National Football League (NFL)'s defending champion Green Bay P ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

two weeks later, but were soundly defeated by the

NFL champion Throughout its history, the National Football League (NFL) and other rival American football leagues have used several different formats to determine their league champions, including a period of inter-league matchups to determine a true national c ...

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

, and finished at .

Offseason

1967 AFL draft

Roster

Team leaders

;Passing

– 3,228 yds., 30 TD, 20 INT, 80.8 rating ;Rushing

Clem Daniels Clemon Daniels Jr. (July 9, 1937 – March 23, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a halfback in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). College career At Prairie View A&M University, h ...

– 130 att., 575 yds., 4 TD ;Receiving

Fred Biletnikoff Frederick S. Biletnikoff (born February 23, 1943) is a former American football player and coach. He was a wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons and ...

– 40 rec., 876 yds., 5 TD

Regular season

Over the course of a fourteen-game regular season schedule, the Raiders faced six of the other eight AFL teams twice, with one game against the Eastern Division's

and

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

. The AFL's only scheduled playoff was the

championship game In sport, a championship is a Competition#Sports, competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match sy ...

between the two division winners. A

playoff round The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

was added two years later, in its final season.

Postseason

Standings

Game summaries

Week 1 vs Broncos

With only one game played during the AFL's opening week, the Raiders' season began on September 10, 1967, with a 51–0 wipeout of the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

in front of a home crowd of just more than 25,000. Running back

Hewritt Dixon Hewritt Frederick Dixon, Jr. (January 8, 1940 – November 24, 1992) was an American professional football player who was a running back for seven seasons in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played for ...

caught one touchdown pass and ran for another.

Warren Powers Warren Anthony Powers (February 19, 1941 – November 2, 2021) was an American football player and coach. He was the head coach at Washington State University in 1977, and the University of Missouri from 1978 through 1984, compiling an over ...

capped the scoring with a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Week 2

Newly acquired quarterback

threw three touchdowns and ran for another as Oakland's high-powered offense easily handled the

Boston Patriots Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most ...

. Former Raiders quarterback Babe Parilli connected with Art Graham on a 19-yard touchdown pass for Boston's only score.

Week 3

The Raiders stayed undefeated on the young season on the strength of two Daryle Lamonica touchdown passes and three field goals from 40-year-old

. A late touchdown run by

Mike Garrett Michael Lockett Garrett (born April 12, 1944) is a former American football player who won the Heisman Trophy in 1965 as a halfback for the USC Trojans. Garrett played professional football for eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and Sa ...

was not enough for Kansas City, who lost their first game of the season.

Week 4

In front of a crowd of more than 63,000 at

Shea Stadium Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City.New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

spoiled Oakland's perfect season. New York's running game provided three touchdowns—two by

Emerson Boozer Emerson Boozer (born July 4, 1943) is a former running back in the American Football League (AFL) and in the National Football League (NFL). In the last year of separate drafts by the AFL and the NFL, Boozer signed with the AFL's New York Jets, r ...

and one by

Bill Mathis Bill Mathis (December 10, 1938 – October 20, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a running back for the New York Titans/Jets in the American Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers. ...

. Daryle Lamonica connected with Bill Miller and

Warren Wells Warren Wells (November 14, 1942 – December 27, 2018) was an American college and professional football player, who played wide receiver for five seasons, with the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders. He had success with the Raiders with one 1,00 ...

for two second-half touchdowns.

Week 5

Oakland rebounded from the previous week's defeat by edging the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

in War Memorial Stadium. The Raiders built a 17–7 halftime lead on a George Blanda field goal, a

touchdown catch, and a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown by

Dan Conners Daniel Joseph Conners (February 6, 1942 – April 28, 2019) was a college and professional American Football player who played 11 seasons as linebacker for the American Football League's Oakland Raiders from 1964 through 1969, and for the Raider ...

. Daryle Lamonica found

Billy Cannon William Abb Cannon (August 2, 1937 – May 20, 2018) was an American football halfback, fullback and tight end who played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He attended Louisiana State Un ...

for a 3-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, which provided the margin of victory.

Week 6

In a Week 3 rematch at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...

the Raiders once again easily defeated the Patriots. Daryle Lamonica threw for four touchdowns, while George Blanda accounted for one touchdown pass and two field goals. Roger Hagberg caught one touchdown and ran for another for Oakland.

Week 7

Oakland broke the 50-point mark for the second time in 1967, as the Raiders crushed the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

in their first meeting of the season. Daryle Lamonica and George Blanda combined for three touchdown passes, while Lamonica ran for two more scores.

Lance Alworth Lance Dwight Alworth (born August 3, 1940), nicknamed “Bambi”, is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) an ...

caught a 71-yard touchdown for the Chargers.

Week 8

Oakland held off a late comeback by the Broncos to preserve a narrow victory at

Bears Stadium Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

. The Raiders built an 18–7 halftime lead on the strength of two touchdown receptions by Bill Miller, but could only manage one field goal in the second half.

Jim LeClair James Michael LeClair (October 30, 1950 – November 4, 2019) was an American football player and coach. He played professionally as a linebacker for 12 seasons, from 1972 to 1983, in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cincinnati Benga ...

ran for a 1-yard Denver touchdown in the final period.

Week 9

The Raiders scored 17 points in the final period to pull away from the expansion

. Daryle Lamonica connected with Billy Cannon for three scores, while Clem Daniels ran for another.

Bob Griese Robert Allen Griese (pronounced ; born February 3, 1945) is a former American football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins. Gries ...

threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end

Doug Moreau Douglas Paul Moreau (born February 15, 1945) is a former American football tight end in the American Football League and current broadcaster along with being a literature teacher. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 19 ...

in the second quarter to give the Dolphins a three-point lead at halftime.

Week 10

Oakland improved to 9–1 by doubling up on the Chiefs in front of more than 44,000 in Municipal Stadium. Five different Raiders (Fred Biletnikoff, Willie Brown,

Pete Banaszak Peter Andrew Banaszak (born May 21, 1944) is a former player of college and professional American football. A running back, he played college football at the University of Miami, and played professionally in the American Football League for the ...

, Warren Powers, and

Larry Todd Larry S. ToddTodd entry
''Who's Who of American Comics Books, 1928–1999.'' Accessed Sept. 19, ...

) scored touchdowns, while the Chiefs got touchdown receptions from

Frank Pitts Frank H. Pitts (born November 12, 1943) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He played ten seasons for the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs (1965–1969) ...

and Otis Taylor.

Week 11

The Raiders' offense continued to pile up points on the season, as Daryle Lamonica threw for four more touchdowns. Billy Cannon caught two, while Bill Miller and Fred Biletnikoff caught one each. Charger quarterback

John Hadl John Willard Hadl (February 15, 1940 – November 30, 2022) was an American football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 16 years. He won an AFL championship with the San Diego Cha ...

passed for two scores and ran for another.

Week 12

Four George Blanda field goals and a 27-yard touchdown run by Hewritt Dixon lifted Oakland to its eleventh win of the season, while the Raiders defense held the

to just one touchdown. The game was played at Rice Stadium.

Week 13

The Raiders avenged their only loss of the season in front of a home crowd of 53,011. The Jets scored first on a 28-yard pass from

Joe Namath Joseph William Namath (; ; born May 31, 1943) is a former American football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He played college foot ...

Don Maynard Donald Rogers Maynard (January 25, 1935 – January 10, 2022) was an American professional American football, football wide receiver known for playing for the New York Jets in the National Football League (NFL). He also played with the New York ...

. Daryle Lamonica threw for three touchdowns, while Roger Hagberg and Hewritt Dixon ran for one touchdown each.

Week 14

A 6-yard touchdown run by Hewritt Dixon broke a 21–21 tie in the fourth quarter, as the Raiders edged the Bills to end their regular season with a 13–1 mark, the best in franchise history. The Oakland defense capitalized on Buffalo turnovers, converting two fumble recoveries into touchdowns in the second and third quarters. Daryle Lamonica found Billy Cannon for a 23-yard touchdown pass in the first period.

Regular season team statistics

In the 1967 regular season, the defense led the league with 67 sacks and 665 yards lost, the latter still an all-time record, the Raiders leading the league in sacks from 1966 to 1968, also an all-time record.

Postseason

With a 13–1 record, the Raiders captured their first AFL Western Division title and advanced to the 1967 AFL Championship against the Eastern Division champion Houston Oilers. Oakland edged Houston in a Week 15 matchup on December 10. By virtue of the game's annual rotation, the game was played in Oakland.

AFL championship game

Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Super Bowl II

Scoring summary

*GB – FG Chandler 39 *GB – FG Chandler 20 *GB – Dowler 62 pass from Starr (Chandler kick) *OAK – Miller 23 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick) *GB – FG Chandler 43 *GB – Anderson 2 run (Chandler kick) *GB – FG Chandler 31 *GB – Adderley 60 interception return (Chandler kick) *OAK – Miller 23 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)

Sources

at databaseFootball.com

* NFL team records

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1967 Oakland Raiders Season American Football League championship seasons Oakland Raiders seasons